Slot Machine Reviews: Zeus

Zeus

Overview

Zeus is a WMS classic and it can continued to be found in many casinos today: not only a classic, it's a survivor and one of their most popular brands! Since then, the Zeus brand has grown to include releases of Zeus II, Zeus III, Great Zeus, Zeus: Son of Kronos, and Kronos: Father of Zeus. You can even find Zeus as a choice in the multi-choice game "Hot Hot 8" and there's even a 5-reel mechanical version too! Zeus is a very basic video slot with a great theme, great sound effects, and especially great music which all combine for an entertaining experience. The game also lends itself to high-limit play, and can be found in the high-limit rooms of many casinos. And it's no wonder: it's a great slot!

Standard Play

Zeus is not complicated and for many, that's part of its appeal. The game is played using 5 reels with 3 rows, with only the top symbol Zeus "stacked" during standard paid games so it can land in multiple positions in the same reel. Thankfully, there are also Wild symbols to help the cause which become stacked during the bonus. You win by landing winning symbol combinations on lines from left to right. Depending on your configuration, you may have as few as 5 or as many as 30 or even 40 lines to play. Most winning lines require at least 3 symbols to win, although for the top symbol Zeus, you only need 2 on a line to win. Interestingly, on higher-denomination versions of the game, the second highest paying symbol, Pegasus, also only needs 2 on a line to win! The bonus is triggered by landing between 3 and 5 scattered bonus symbols to award free spins.

Balance & Volatility

Zeus is a reasonably balanced slot where you win big in standard paid games although usually, the Big Win is in the bonus. The Top Award is accomplished by filling the screen completely with Zeus symbols, where wilds can also act as a substitute for Zeus symbols, to award you 500x your total bet. Playing the game at higher-limit where Pegasus pays on a two-reel payline also helps. Without the bonus though, you will feel the grind over a moderate amount of play, but you can still survive with a little luck.

Bonus Features

Zeus has one bonus feature which is triggered by landing 3, 4 or 5 scattered Lightning Bolt bonus symbols for 10, 25, or 100 free spins, respectively. During the bonus, stacked Wild symbols are introduced in the reels to give you an advantage, and quite the advantage it can be, and retriggers are also possible to keep the party going! It's not complicated, although it doesn't need to be and with the great music, it's just plain fun. My one quibble would be that you do not win a scatter award upon bonus trigger, so it's possible to trigger the bonus and not win a penny, even though unlikely. I think it's great when you're awarded 2x, 10x, and 100x your bet for landing 3, 4, or 5 bonus symbols respectively, which isn't uncommon in many other games, but it's a small point. Overall, triggering with 3 bonus symbols is moderately difficult. Triggering with 4 is hard and triggering with 5 is extremely rare!

How You Can Win Big! And by "BIG" I Mean 100x

Land multiple 5-reel premium symbol line hits in a single paid game, or even 1 single line of Zeus across 5-reels will get you there, if you're betting only 5 lines.

Land the bonus and line up a few reels with stacked wilds forming multiple, nice line hits!

Triggering the bonus for 25 free spins will many times get you there, although this isn't guaranteed.

Triggering the bonus for 100 free spins will almost certainly get you there!

Unlike some of the newer games, Zeus gives you a choice with respect to how many lines you want to play and your bet per line, so you have a choice with respect to betting a greater number of lines at a lower bet per line or fewer lines at a higher bet per line. Which option you prefer may be more of a personal preference based on your style of play, and whether you like to win more frequently, but win less when you do, or win less frequently, but win more when you do. My personal opinion is I'd rather play fewer lines at a higher bet per line than more lines at a lower bet per line with 9 lines being my preferred configuration.

Final Thoughts

Zeus is a great game that I trust will still be able to be found in casinos for a long time to come with great game play and music! Big Wins and Jackpots are possible, especially when playing high-limit, with Zeus overall being my top Jackpot winning game. I will note your particular casino may set its payout percentage to a number of different settings, so the way a particular Zeus may play may be different at different casinos, which is true for all slots.